Test less, but test better. Mina Patel talks English language proficiency tests

English language proficiency tests are a delicate balance: Testing is essential to know what learners need support with, but tests that are too frequent or poorly designed can be stressful, especially for younger learners. Negative experiences can affect lifelong attitudes to assessment and even education as a whole.?

Fortunately, there is another way.?

Mina Patel is Head of Research of the British Council’s Future of English programme. With over 25 years of experience in education, she has worked as a teacher, trainer, materials writer and ELT project manager in various countries. Her work focuses on identifying key trends shaping English as a global language and she is actively involved in language assessment research.?

Mina’s a passionate advocate of ‘testing less but testing better’, a concept she outlined in her presentation at 2024’s ELTons Festival of Innovation.?

We chatted with her to find out more.?

Your presentation mentioned the differences, overlap and feedback loop between formative and summative English language-level testing. Can you expand on these???

So, summative and formative assessments have traditionally been separate in English language teaching, but I think they’re deeply connected. Summative is more judgemental and formal, typically at the end of a term or course to measure achievement. It’s also often high-stakes, with clear parameters and consequences – ‘I will or won’t get into university’, ‘I will or won’t progress to the next course’ – and learners know what to expect from the test.??

Formative assessment is generally more developmental – an ongoing part of classroom activities. It’s also less formal, lower stakes and with parameters that are often less well defined and communicated by teachers. I think we have to be more transparent and get better at communicating to learners why we’re doing classroom activities like quizzes, etc. and how they help learning.?

Feedback is crucial with both, although it’s often difficult with summative assessments due to the scale and timing of testing. There’s also an important feedback loop between the two: Summative results should inform formative practices which, in turn, help with learning and preparing students for the bigger, high-stakes assessments.?

We need to help teachers to understand how formative work feeds into summative assessments. When we do this, and when learners understand what’s happening, they’re more engaged and in control of their own learning which, in the end, is what we want: independent learners who are engaged and motivated, for which they need to be able to set goals: ‘What can I achieve this week/month?’ or ‘How can I assess how far I’ve come?’ The more the two types of assessment work together, the better for the learners.??

What needs to happen for this to become a reality??

To help teachers understand the interplay between the two, there needs to be a significant shift in pre-service education. Assessment should be integrated throughout, not just a single module or add-on at the end of the course. If we want teachers to practise and implement formative assessment, they need to know the purpose of it, how it supports learning and teaching, and how it works alongside summative assessment.

Right now, when teachers are preparing students for tests, they do practice tests. There’s nothing wrong with that, but you’re practising a format and skills that will help them get through the test. They’re not learning to become better, more independent learners, more proficient in the language. Teachers can support learners to understand formative assessment by using small cues in the classroom such as ‘Today, we’re going to do this and then we’re going to do a quiz so we can see what we still need to work on.’ We need to signpost what assessment is and how it’s integrated into the lesson.?

You mentioned how English language assessment tests can feed into affect. Can you expand on this???

Affect is really important in English language teaching, and it covers things like motivation, interaction and classroom dynamics. It’s about creating a comfortable learning space where learners feel confident enough to take risks.

Our Primary English Test feeds into this by taking a storytelling approach. Children grow up with stories, which have a familiar pattern with recognisable characters and predictable obstacles. So it’s a wonderful way to assess young learners. Children want to be engaged and challenged. If something is too easy, they won’t be motivated. If something is the right level of challenge as well as engaging, you’ve hooked them. And if you do it through gamification, that’s particularly powerful.

So the combination of the different test components really brings the assessment alive, into a realm that young children understand and can connect and engage with. It’s something they have to navigate, an adventure they’re on, and they’re so into it that they don’t even know they’re doing an assessment.?

The testing team has thought about those different components: how to take the stress away from the learner and make them feel comfortable and lose themselves in the assessment. It’s also adaptive, so it stays at the level that each learner engages with the story at, and I think that’s so powerful for young children.?

Tests like the Primary English Test were developed as part of the British Council philosophy of ‘the right test at the right time’. How do you achieve this???

It requires a systemic approach to assessment within a school or comprehensive learning system. So, aligning all stakeholders – decision-makers, teachers, parents – on assessment goals and approaches. You need to collectively determine when and how often to test, and why and how you can communicate that. You also need to regularly review and adjust your approach.

Young learners especially need routines and to build on previous experiences, so a systemic approach to testing is crucial.?

Administering the right tests at the right time also means you can test less but test better. How can educators achieve that???

By doing formative assessment better – integrating it seamlessly into the classroom so it becomes part of teaching and learning of skills, vocabulary and grammar, rather than separate assessment. That way, you’re preparing your learners for what really matters for most stakeholders, which is summative assessment. So you’re testing less but testing better!?

The challenge is that assessment has often been treated as an add-on, an afterthought. You create the curriculum, then think about how to deliver it and, finally, how to test learners. But in Barry O’Sullivan’s Comprehensive Learning System, all three should be developed and designed together and support each other. If that happens then, hopefully, that would better inform pre-service education and teacher training.?

You co-authored the Future of English report. What’s the most valuable key takeaway for educators from that report regarding assessment??

Language assessment literacy is key, not just for educators, but for everybody: decision-makers, parents, as well as learners. Things like the purpose of different kinds of assessments, the role of assessment in the teaching and learning process, when to use them, and when not to, the benefits, the challenges, etc. People who use assessments need to know about assessments to make informed decisions, including in the classroom.?

English language proficiency tests: Less really is more?

Imagine a world where testing empowers and engages learners while lightening the load for educators. Well, it’s possible if we follow Mina’s advice and test less but test better.??

By integrating formative assessment seamlessly into teaching, educators can reduce the frequency of high-stakes summative tests while improving outcomes. This approach helps foster independent learning, enhance engagement and minimise stress for young learners.?

When the time comes for English language proficiency tests, solutions like the Primary English Test and other British Council English Assessments for Schools tests make testing feel like a natural part of learning. This is because their learner-centric design helps create a supportive environment – so they can relax and perform at their best.?

Start testing less but better.?